20mm Cannon
The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition. Since 20mm is the cutoff point where most nations switch from bullets to shells, it has come to also generally be the cutoff point between weapons classified as a machine gun or a cannon. This can vary, however: for example, in WWII, Japan classified any weapon over 11mm as a cannon; thus, in Japanese records, their 12.7mm Ho-103 aircraft gun is classified as an autocannon, as it used explosive shells to overcome its lower muzzle velocity compared to American 12.7mm/.50BMG weapons). A machine gun does not fire shells, so historically a weapon that fires shells below 20mm can be a cannon. A true definition will always mention whether the weapon fires bullets or shells in addition to its caliber. A very small number of anti-tank rifles have been produced in 20 mm and larger calibers. Many but not all 20 mm rounds have an explosive filling and detonating fuze. Battlefield 2 The 20mm Cannon is a default vehicle weapon in Battlefield 2 available only for the US Marine'sF-18 Hornet, F-35 and AH-1Z Viper. Battlefield 3 The 20mm Cannon is a default vehicle weapon in Battlefield 3 available only for the US Marines' F/A-18 Super Hornet and AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter. The weapon's faction-based counter-parts are the Russian 2A42 Shipunov Automatic Cannon mounted aboard the Mi-28 Havoc and GSh-30-1 30mm automatic cannon for the SU-35BM 'Flanker E'. Although different in calibre, both cannons deal the same amount of damage and are only different in aesthetic appearances. The 20mm cannon is the default and starting weapon available for both the US Marine's Jet Fighter and Attack Helicopter. For Jet Fighters due to the cannon's high rate of fire, it is excels in targeting and dispatch of hostile air vehicles and slow-moving exposed infantry, with all of the above able to be dispatched in a single pass in less than 2 seconds if all rounds strike the target. The Jet's primary 20mm will always be selected by default when upon entry on the aircraft and the pilot can switch back and forth between their primary and secondary weapons noted by the change in Heads-Up-Display (HUD). The cannon is extremely accurate even at long ranges with a high muzzle but even then, the pilot must still take into account of target speed and adjust accordingly to compensate for longer distances by leading the target. The weapon contains unlimited ammunition but firing continuously for 3 or 4 seconds will overheat the cannon and the pilot will be forced to wait the same amount of time before being able to use it again. The 20mm's distinct firing report, muzzle flash and tracer can give the aircraft's position away. The 20mm is the default Gunner seat's secondary weapon for the AH-1Z Viper. Unlike its jet Fighter-mounted counterpart, the cannon can traverse around at a 200 degree angle, slower muzzle velocity, fires high-explosive rounds containing light splash damage but ammunition limited to 30 rounds before the need the reload and no overheat. The Attack Helicopter's 20mm can devastate large pockets of enemy troops when allowed to hover temporarily over a high-traffic location, especially when equipped with Thermal Optics. It also has the ability to damage vehicles. All in all, the Attack Helicopter's 20mm still retains many operational similarities and properties as its Fighter Jet counterpart. The "Belt Speed" vehicle specialization decreases cool down time per overheated reload for Jet Fighters and decreases reload time for the Attack Helicopter's main weapon. Damage Statistics & Effects The following is a list of effects and damage to specific vehicle types from an entire full-length burst from the 20mm cannon. Vehicles not listed are vehicles which are destroyed within a single full-length burst. Such includes all air vehicle types, Quad Bikes, RHIB Boats, Light Transports, Armored Transports For added consistency, damage results were gathered with all shells striking the target in one full-length burst with no misses, and without the "Belt Feeder" vehicle specialisation equipped. Damage results are consistent at all angles of contact. Gallery BF3_AH-1Z_Cannon.png|AH-1Z Viper's M197 20mm Gatling Gun. BF3_AH-1Z_20mm_Cannon_HUD.png|Secondary gunner's 20mm HUD. BF3_Hornet_20mm_Cannon.png|F/A-18 Super Hornet's 20mm M61 Vulcan gun pod mounted on the nose. BF3_Hornet_20mm_Cannon_Fire.png|20mm M61 Vulcan being fired. BF3 Hornet 20mm Cannon HUD.png|20mm M61 Vulcan targeting HUD icon. Battlefield 4 The 20mm Cannon is a default vehicle specialization available for Stealth Jets, Mobile Anti-Aircraft Artillery and the U.S Marine Corps' AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter in Battlefield 4. ''It functions almost exactly the same as its ''Battlefield 3 ''counter-part. For Stealth Jets due to the cannon's high rate of fire, it is excels in targeting and dispatch of hostile air vehicles and slow-moving exposed infantry. Unlike its ''Battlefield 3 counter-part however, it is relatively weaker, requiring more round placed upon the target to guarantee destruction. It also has a 'spread' when firing for an extended period of time. The Jet's primary 20mm will always be selected by default when upon entry on the aircraft and the pilot can switch back and forth between their primary and secondary weapons noted by the change in Heads-Up-Display (HUD). The cannon is extremely accurate even at long ranges with a high muzzle but even then, the pilot must still take into account of target speed and adjust accordingly to compensate for longer distances by leading the target. The weapon contains unlimited ammunition but firing continuously for 3 or 4 seconds will overheat the cannon and the pilot will be forced to wait the same amount of time before being able to use it again. The 20mm's distinct firing report, muzzle flash and tracer can give the aircraft's position away. The 20mm is the gunner seat's primary weapon for the AH-1Z Viper. Unlike its Stealth Jet-mounted counterpart, the cannon can traverse around at a 200 degree angle, slower muzzle velocity, fires high-explosive rounds containing light splash damage but ammunition limited to 30 rounds before the need the reload and no overheat. The Attack Helicopter's 20mm can devastate large pockets of enemy troops when allowed to hover temporarily over a high-traffic location, especially when equipped with Thermal Optics. It also has the ability to damage vehicles. All in all, the Attack Helicopter's 20mm still retains many operational similarities and properties as its Fighter Jet counterpart. For Mobile Anti-Aircraft vehicles, the 20mm is the default Primary Weapon. Over its 30mm counterpart, it deals lighter damage but has a higher muzzle velocity, fire rate and overheat threshold. It functions similarly to its Stealth Jet counterpart but unlike its Attack Helicopter Variant, it can traverse in a 360 degree swivel to attack any and all targets at a high angle or almost any angle both horizontally and vertically. The weapon's distinctive muzzle report, flash and tracer cam give the operator's position away to enemy forces. Damage Statistics & Effects The following is a list of effects and damage to specific vehicle types from an entire full-length burst from the 20mm cannon. Vehicles not listed are vehicles which are destroyed within a single full-length burst. Such includes Jets of all types, Quad Bikes and PWCs for Stealth Jets, and Quad Bikes, PWCs, M142 HIMARS, Jeeps of all Types, RHIB Boats and Jets of all types for Mobile Anti-Aircraft. For added consistency, damage results were gathered with all shells striking the target in one full-length burst with no misses, and without the "Belt Feeder" vehicle specialisation equipped. Only the highest damage output recorded are listed, rounded off to 5 percent increments. Damage results are gathered post-2015 Battlefield 4: Legacy Operations update and are subject to change without notice by game developers from time to time. Gallery TargetDrone.png|F-35 firing 20mm Cannon rounds at an unmanned target drone. SJCannon.png|Front view of F-35 firing 20mm Cannon. BF4LAVADFiring.png|Mobile Artillery LAV-AD firing 20mm Cannon at an unmanned target drone. SJvsTank.png|F-35 engaging armored targets with 20mm Cannon fire. BF4_AH1Z_20mm_Cannon.png|AH-1Z Viper's 20mm M197 Gatling Gun. Battlefield 1 The 20mm Cannon (specifically a Becker Type M2) appears in Battlefield 1 as an armament available for Attack Planes, Bombers, M.A.S. Torpedo Boat and Airship L30. It also appears in variants of the FT-17, Mark V Landship and A7V heavy tank. It reliably does heavy damage to infantry and light vehicles, but has trouble doing heavy damage to tanks. In , the 20mm Cannon is the primary armament for the default Ground Support package. It is good for taking out massed infantry. For s, the 20mm Cannon is available for the Nose Gunner. It does devastating damage to aircraft trying to pursue the bomber, as well as being good for strafing ground targets. It has limited horizontal traversal, but generous elevation for attacking targets high and low. For the Torpedo Boat, the 20mm Cannon is available for the front gunner. It has a limited field of fire but is good for suppressing fire on beaches, and combating other torpedo boats. The Airship L30 carries 20mm cannons for each of its three ground attack gunners (2nd, 3rd, 5th seats), all of which are exposed to external fire. On the map Giant's Shadow, two intact weapons remain mounted on grounded gondolas, functioning as emplacements. On the Armored Train, the 20mm Cannon is used by the caboose gunner (4th seat on small trains, 6th seat on large trains). Its coverage is wide but limited horizontally, although it is significantly weaker than the other 20mm Cannons as seen on the Bombers and the Airship. The FT-17 Flanker package variant is equipped with the 20mm Cannon, firing HE shells as its primary weapon. It has also the ability to use powerful case shot rounds as its secondary weapon. Unlike the above variants, the Flanker has a 15-round magazine. The Mark V Landship Squad Support Package allows the driver to use a forward-firing 20mm Autocannon, with a 15-round magazine and HE shells only. The A7V Breakthrough package variant has 20mm autocannons at each side of the tank. Each position uses a 15-round magazine. In Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass, the Char 2C behemoth is equipped with a 20mm autocannon mounted in a semi-traversable turret on the vehicle's rear, used by the second passenger. In Battlefield 1: In the Name of the Tsar, the Ilya-Muromets features swapped gunner positioned compared to the regular bombers, with its ground-attack HE Autocannon located mounted to the tail. The pilot also has access to twin HE Autocannons when using the Strategic Bomber Package, which can be aimed using the Bomb Sight and used to target enemy ground positions to the front and sides of the aircraft. In Battlefield 1: Turning Tides, the C-Class Airship is equipped with a 20mm autocannon mounted on the rear of the gondola, usable from the third seat. It is capable of 360° traverse and has unlimited ammo, and is capable of shooting through the body of the airship. Battlefield V 20mm Cannon refers to four vehicle specializations in Battlefield V: 20mm Autocannon, KWK 38 L/55 Autocannon, 3x Oerlikon 20mm for ground vehicles and the 2x 20mm Hispano and 4x Hispano 20mm for air vehicles. Each specialization equips the respective vehicle with a 20mm cannon. Trivia *In Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, the secondary gunner position on the AH-1Z Viper uses a 30mm M230 cannon, as opposed to the 20mm M197 cannon used on the real vehicle. Battlefield 1 *Although seen to have a detachable magazine, variants where it is visible have ammunition limited only by overheating. Limited magazines are used in two tank packages, which do not have a visible reloading animation. *The A7V Breakthrough gunners are shown to have 15-round magazines that must be reloaded. See Also *M61 Vulcan on Wikipedia *M197 20mm Gatling Gun on Wikipedia References Category:Autocannons Category:Specializations of Battlefield 3 Category:Specializations of Battlefield 4 Category:Specializations of Battlefield 1